I would like to dispel the myths that Satanists worship the devil, sacrifice animals and the like. This is not true. LaVey based Satanism on self-development, selfishness (in a rational way) and love of freedom.
A little history of Satanism LaVey
The main idea of this philosophy was formulated by Anton LaVey in the 50s. The first community was called the “Order of Trapezoid” and consisted of a narrow circle of friends and relatives of Anton. Later, in the 60s, philosophy became a doctrine and was called "Satanism." LaVey used the image of Satan not as an object of worship, but as a symbol of freedom of thought, love of everything that surrounds a person. As Anton Sandor LaVey himself said:
Satan symbolizes the love of everything earthly and the denial of the incorporeal, pale Christ image on the cross.
In 1966, the Church of Satan was founded with a very modest circle of fellowship, in which LaVey practiced the theory of Satanism. The book "The Satanic Bible" was written in 1969, which attracted a lot of attention to the author. There were invitations to TV shows in the USA and rather scandalous attacks on the founder of religion. Satanic belief is growing and exists to this day.
Briefly about the basic principles of Satanism LaVey
- Following instincts, not abstinence.
- Retribution to man according to his merits instead of love and respect for the ungrateful.
- Do not turn the second cheek if you hit one, but revenge.
- A full-fledged existence instead of spiritual dreams and self-deception.
- Responsibility for the actions taken and their consequences.
As you can see, LaVey's Satanism is based on man and his existence in society. Many in our time adhere to the principle of “how you feel about me, so do I”, and most do not know that this philosophy has a name and is practiced at the level of the official religion.
Vision of Satanism by Anton LaVey
The Christian “mantra” sounds like: “Do with your neighbor as you would like you to do with you,” which Anton LaVey did not share. He was convinced that it was unreasonable to waste his energy and time on everyone, and that it was worth doing this only in relation to those who were worthy.
Thus, to some extent, a lot of hidden level owners walk around the world. In society, the definition of “Satanist” is biased (because of ignorance), which is why Satanists are also called lavelists. They can be described as fundamental individualists, which fundamentally changes the outdated perception of the definition of "Satanist."
Commandments and Rules
As in many other religions, Satanism in the book of LaVey contains a set of commandments that must be kept in order to "not go astray." There are only 9 of them, so it doesn’t particularly look like a hidden subtext related to the "numbers of the Devil." There are also 11 rules for a Satanist staying on Earth. Well and how without sins? There are 9 of them, as are the commandments. Let's look at the commandments of Satanism of LaVey:
- Satan represents indulgence, not abstinence!
- Satan personifies the essence of life instead of unfulfilled spiritual dreams.
- Satan personifies undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deception!
- Satan personifies mercy to those who deserve it, instead of the love spent on flatterers!
- Satan represents revenge, and does not turn the other cheek after hitting!
- Satan represents responsibility to those responsible instead of participating in spiritual vampires.
- Satan represents man only as one more animal, sometimes the best, often the worst, than those who walk on four legs; an animal that, due to its "divine, spiritual and intellectual development" has become the most dangerous of all animals!
- Satan personifies all so-called sins, as they lead to physical, mental and emotional satisfaction!
- Satan has been the church’s best friend at all times, supporting her business all these years!
More like a clarification to perception than a commandment. But they are not without meaning, guiding the laborer in determining his life path.
Rules of life
Consider the 11 rules for staying on Earth, which must be followed by a lavelist:
- Do not give your point of view and do not give advice unless you are asked about it.
- Do not tell others about your troubles, unless you are sure that they want to listen to you.
- In a strange house, show respect and modesty, or do not appear there at all.
- If a guest in your house annoys you, treat him cruelly and ruthlessly.
- Do not attempt sexual rapprochement unless you receive an inviting signal.
- Do not take a thing that does not belong to you, unless it is a burden on its owner, and he does not ask for his release from this burden.
- Recognize the power of magic if it has been successfully used by you to achieve your goals. If you deny the power of magic after you have successfully used it, you will lose all that has been achieved.
- Do not express your dissatisfaction with the fact that it has nothing to do with you.
- Do not offend small children.
- Do not kill animals, except for food and in defense against their attack.
- Being in neutral territory, do not bother anyone. If someone is bothering you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, punish him.
Here is a very simple list of the rules of Satanism. LaVey believed that they would bring the desired result in the life of a Satanist.
Sins
What then is forbidden to Satanists, you ask? The list consists of 9 sins:
Stupidity
The worst of sins was the stupidity of man in this religion. First of all, the satanist must protect himself from communication with stupid people. Stupidity can be expressed both in the blind herd perception of any information received from the media, and in the event that a person simply does not strive for self-development.
Pretentiousness
In a simple sense, this is posturing. The combination of stupidity and posturing is a fairly common phenomenon of our days. Many make themselves “the most important" people, although they do not represent absolutely nothing.
Solipsism
The difficulty is that the Satanist does not get lost and is on the alert all the time. He must follow the definition of “Give people what they have given you.” It is very easy to wish for the fact that everything around is the same as the Satanist himself. The end result, being self-deceived, the Satanist can do according to the Christian canons “Do with your neighbor as you would like to be treated with you,” which completely contradicts the religious principles of LaVey's Satanism.
Self-deception
Self-deception in Satanism is an equally important sin. Self-deception is allowed only for fun and must be conscious.
Herd conformism
It is acceptable for a Satanist to “submit” to some will for his own benefit, rather than blindly walk with the crowd, being led by an unknown person and why.
Lack of breadth
In the case of inability to evaluate as much as possible what is happening around, taking into account the history and assumptions of the future, the Satanist may be in a disadvantage. The ability to see the environment as if “from the side” is the proper vision of the Satanist.
Ignorance of the experience of generations
It can be interpreted as breaking the eternal ring "Everything new is forgotten old." Possessing knowledge of the past, do not praise the false "creators" of this or that event / deed.
Unproductive pride
Pride is good, if in moderation. When pride gives a positive result and works for the Satanist - this is welcome. If for some reason a way out of an unfavorable situation requires that the Satanist “hide” pride far away, which he did not do, then this is a sin. In general, what gives you a plus is good, but a minus is bad.
Lack of aesthetic
The ability to perceive the natural beauty of the world without being biased, based on some imposed foundations of beauty. An opportunity to explain why you see the beautiful in one or another (being developed), rather than a blind agreement with the masses (being not developed).
All this is set forth in the book of Satanism of LaVey - “The Black Bible”, which he wrote along with other books devoted to this religion. Quite famous are his works “The Notebook of the Devil” and “Satanic Rituals”.
Relation to other religions
In general, Satanists are antagonists, or atheists. They are more inclined to believe that for themselves certain gods (no frills) should not be confused with narcissism. The Judeo-Christian concept of faith is not regarded by Satanists as true. They do not protest about religions that differ from their own, they simply do not consider it reasonable to spend time on a possible afterlife at the cost of self-flagellation during life. Lavelists are engaged in self-realization and self-development, without wasting time on unnecessary disputes on the topic of religions and other topics that are not related to self-improvement.
The Current Situation of the Satanic Religion of LaVey
Anton Sandor LaVey died on October 29, 1997 at the age of 67 due to pulmonary edema. The last minutes of his life, he was in the city of San Francisco, in the hospital of St. Mary, where he got only because she was the closest. The funeral was secret and held according to satanic rites in a very, very narrow circle. His body was cremated, but not buried. The ashes were left in order to pass on to the subsequent successors of the founder of Satanism.
Nowadays, the head of the satanic church is Peter Gilmore. He took office in 2001 after Vincent Crowley officially renounced the head of the Church of Satan. Now in many countries there are official churches of Satan recognized by the state. In general, LaVey's Satanists do not pose any threat to society or the environment, but like in any religion there are believers and there are fanatics. Here, the matter relates more to the health of reason than to religion itself.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that not all around are Satanists who walk in black. Satanists are highly successful people, given their commandments and foundations. So do not be horrified with the cries of "Satanists !!!" if you saw a group of teenagers in black robes and catchy makeup.
There are many subcultures and directions in which similar symbols and symbols are used. But if you really meet the true Satanist LaVey, then be sure that you will remember this person.